


Hotter Than the Little Mermaid

by mysupernaturalobsessions



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Little Mermaid Fusion, Destiel - Freeform, First Kiss, Little Mermaid Elements, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-20
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2018-04-16 08:17:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4618125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysupernaturalobsessions/pseuds/mysupernaturalobsessions
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loosely based on the original fairy tale of the Little Mermaid. Dean is the Prince of Denmark, and Castiel is the strangest person he's ever met. Maybe that's because he's an angel who sold his soul to a demon for the chance to have a human life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time there was an angel named Castiel who lived on the third cloud, closest to the Earth. He was a curious angel, stubborn and rebellious, and there was only one other angel who would have anything to do with him. Gabriel was his best friend, his only friend, and the two of them did everything together. Well, almost everything. 

Gabriel knew how unhappy Castiel was so he tried to cover for him when Castiel made his rogue trips to Earth. But the young angel was getting more and more reckless. Castiel would sometimes leave Heaven for days at a time. He neglected his chores – like pouring rain onto the Earth, and learning how to play the harp. Every Thursday he was in charge of raising the sun. That was important work! What would the humans do if the sun never rose?

Gabriel cornered him one day when he was in the snowflake lab. 

“We need to talk,” he said.

Castiel looked up at the angel, grinning with his eyes and barely moving his mouth. This was the only way he ever smiled. Gabriel knew him well, though. Castiel was excited about something and his energy shown through in his eyes. Despite his lack of expression, Castiel never spoke much either. It meant that most of the other angels overlooked him, but Gabriel it just meant he had to look more closely.

He let Castiel drag him away down the hall. They went to their dormitory. Gabe stood back in the doorway while Castiel rummaged through the little wooden chest that belonged to him. They each had their own, and their garrison mother, Anna, had decorated them with each angel’s name. Castiel’s design was covered in little bees. Gabriel was the only one who knew that Castiel filled his box with treasures from the human world. Taking items across the realms was strictly forbidden, but they made Castiel happy so his brother kept his mouth shut. 

Gabriel had to teach him what a fork was, and what pens were used for, and how human’s used a little plastic brush to keep their teach clean. 

When Cas came back to Gabriel’s side, he was holding a folded piece of paper this time. He fidgeted with it for a second, before smoothing it out and presenting it to Gabriel like a treasure. 

The photograph was of a family, a couple holding two little boys. The dark-haired man was hugging the blonde by her waist and she held an infant in her arms. The second boy was older and he stood in front. He was turned to the side in the picture, revealing only the profile of his face. Gabriel didn’t know much about Earth, and had only been sent there a handful of times, but he recognized these people instantly. 

He handed the picture back to his friend. “That’s the Royal Family of Denmark.”

“It is?” Castiel stared down at their faces again. The woman had the brightest green eyes and she was laughing at the camera. She was hard not to stare at. 

Gabriel nodded. “Where’d you get it?”

“I found it. A man dropped it, but I didn’t see where he went. Maybe I’ll return it, now that I know who it belongs to.”

“You can’t keep going back to Earth,” Gabriel said. 

Castiel was staring down at the picture. He sighed. “I love humans. Haven’t you ever loved something, Gabriel?”

“That’s not the point, Cassie. It’s not safe, and I can’t keep covering for you.”

“Then don’t cover for me,” he said, shrugging. He knelt down to replace the picture with the rest of his belongings. “Father won’t find out as long as you don’t tell him.”

“I won’t,” Gabriel promised. But it wasn’t exactly an easy promise to keep. 

Castiel kept going missing. Anna asked several times about his whereabouts, and for once Gabriel stopped making excuses. Instead, he played dumb. 

Castiel flew down to Earth during the tail-end of a rainstorm. The angels were busy, so no one noticed him leave. He landed on the slanted rocks beside the canal in Copenhagen. There was a family there, walking along the edge, and a group of teenage girls taking pictures down in front of a mermaid statue. He watched them run away from the water, towards the mountainous hills of grass nearby. 

He sat there, watching, invisible to their human eyes. Sometimes he felt lonely on Earth this way, but revealing himself was not an option. Castiel, like all the angels, had big, black wings protruding from his back. But unlike those who were sent to Earth on missions, he couldn’t make his disappear without camouflaging his entire being. So that’s what he did. 

Out on the water, boats glided by. They reminded Castiel of flying. Some people stuck their faces out the windows, and the women let their hair blow back in the wind. Sailing seemed nice, to Castiel, peaceful. 

There was a large boat further out, moving faster than the others. Castiel tracked its movement with his eyes. The boat was approaching the opposite shoreline at a rapid pace. At first, the speed made Castiel nervous for the people on board. But the ship flying royal blue flags slid easily into its port. People on the opposite shore were gathered to witness its return. 

Despite its perfect entry, Castiel could sense the unease aboard the ship. He could see with perfect vision the tiny people on the boat calling for the tiny people on land. Something was wrong. Castiel zapped himself on board to see what all the commotion was about. 

Immediately he realized the poor state of the ship. The deck was a wreck, clearly damaged out at sea. The sailors had probably gotten caught in the rainstorm on their way in. 

There were two dead bodies, covered in blood and placed at the opening on the ship. Castiel moved nearer. He searched for souls, but there was only one. The other man was well and truly dead. The surviving victim was already being hauled up by the crew mates. The captain of the ship, a gruff looking man with a grey beard, ordered them to find a car. Someone was coming, someone would be there soon. 

"Bobby, what do we do if he doesn't make it?"

The captain shook his head. "He'll make it. The boy's stupid, climbing up on the post in the middle of a storm like that, but he ain't a quitter. Find a medic, send someone for the King. And Sam, someone find Sam." 

They settled the dying man on the dock and ran into the street. Castiel felt a slight indignation for the man, neglected as he was. He moved closer and studied his face. He was beautiful, a truly magnificent creation. His face was scattered with flecks of brown. 

Castiel could sense the soul flickering, fighting and losing the battle to survive. He was a good man, honest. He loved his family. His soul glowed, bright white, so white it was almost blinding. Castiel believed it would be a waste to the world to lose this human. More importantly, Castiel himself could not stand by and watch him die. He could help. Though he knew it was wrong, he stepped forward and healed the man with a single touch to his head.

He jumped back a step when the man opened his eyes. He recognized them instantly, from the photograph up in Heaven. This man had exactly his mother eyes, and for a second before Castiel zapped himself home, he could have sworn those eyes could see him.


	2. Part Of Your World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel's father forbids him from returning to Earth.

When Castiel returned home, half his garrison was waiting for him. Anna looked like she wanted to smite him on the spot. Castiel ducked his head submissively and stepped forward.

“Castiel, Father has requested to speak with you.”

He looked up. Most of the angels were looking away, besides Anna and Gabriel. He met his friend’s eye across the room. He looked sad, and shook his head briefly to a question that hadn’t been asked. No, Gabriel had not turned him in. Castiel nodded once, to Gabriel and the leader of his garrison before he took off the way he had come. If God wanted to see him, it was probably best to get it over with. 

Of course, Castiel didn’t actually get to see God. No one ever did. His father had a cloud office for this sort of thing. Castiel could hear his voice as if from above. There was nothing to see in any direction besides white. He stared straight ahead.

“My son,” the voice was booming and quiet all at once. Castiel tensed. “Your carelessness for order is dangerous. Angels such as yourself were not built for the human world.”

“But…”

“Do not interrupt me, Castiel. You will do as I say, or you will be severely punished. Stay away from Earth. Anna will be watching over you more closely than usual. You will be respectful to her, you will apologize to Gabriel for taking advantage of his kindness, and you will not disobey again. Do you understand me?”

Castiel nodded, trusting his father could see him wherever he was.

“Good. Now be gone.”

Castiel had never fled a room so quickly in his life. He ran straight to his cloud, soaring into it with a running, jump. His wings expanded in the air and settled over his body. 

Gabriel and Anna found him there, late that night. They were good siblings, and Castiel knew that they cared about him, but they would never understand how he felt about the humans – that he felt a kinship on Earth more than he ever had in Heaven. Even though the humans could never see him, he longed to be a part of that world. 

“You missed choir,” Anna said. 

“And lighting the stars,” Gabriel added. 

Castiel ignored them. He buried his face further into his cloud-pillow. He could hear Gabriel and Anna murmuring to each other behind him, but he drowned out their words. Eventually they went away.

The lights never went out in Heaven. There was no day or night or dusk. There was no sunset to wait for and no bed to climb into. Castiel had only his cloud, and the endless day that was his entire life. Angels could never even die. They were only souls, ones that had never been attached to human bodies. 

Castiel would never find relief, if he was banned from Earth forever. It wasn’t an existence he wanted to face. The more he thought about it the more desperate he became. To never see a human again seemed like the worst kind of cruelty. 

With a depraved sense of justice, Castiel jumped from his bed. First he went to the dormitory to retrieve his belongings. Then he left Heaven and tried to not look back. He wouldn’t go to Earth, not yet at least. Angels weren’t built for that planet, anyway. But no one had said anything about staying out of Purgatory. 

The journey was difficult, even for an angel. Purgatory was not a pleasant place to be. There were humans, sure, but their souls were always tarnished beyond recognition. They weren’t monsters, but they weren’t people either anymore. Castiel watched these former humans. Broken down to their essence, they became little more than animals with memories. 

Once or twice he had felt their claws on his flesh. He didn’t bother disguising himself here, as there was no reason for it. He watched and was watched. 

He went to the farthest end of the land, where the trees thickened and the slope of dirt led down to a door. The door went straight to Hell, and Castiel was desperate, but not that desperate. He knocked loudly three times. 

Crowley emerged in a puff of thick smoke. He closed the door behind him with a little effort, and the screaming stopped. Castiel knew of the demon that ran Hell, although they had never met. From the spark in Crowley’s eye, he knew of Castiel as well. The men frowned at each other. 

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Crowley mused. “Fighting with Daddy again, Castiel?”

“How do you know my name?”

“Lucifer’s told me all about you. You’re the only one following in his footsteps, he’s quite proud. It wasn’t him you were knocking on the door for, was it?” Castiel shook his head. “Then what can I do for you?” 

Castiel considered the question. In the pocket of his robes, he clutched the picture he had taken from Earth. He knew he wanted to go to there, to live with the humans and be seen. Even as he thought the words, he feared he was about to make a terrible mistake. By now every angel in Heaven would know he was missing. If he went back he would be miserable forever. Going home was not an option. Castiel swallowed his trepidation and looked the demon in the eye.

“I’ve come to make a deal.”

Crowley smiled, all teeth. “Well, then. Step into my office.”


	3. Meeting Ariel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean finds Cas in an alley.

Three years ago to the day, Dean’s mother died in a kitchen fire at the castle. Dean and Sam had been away hunting red deer in the countryside when the news arrived. The brothers had rushed home to be with their father, and mourn with the country over the loss of their queen.

Dean spent most of his time in Copenhagen after that, never leaving except for business. His country needed him, and his family needed him. But today? Today he really needed to get out of the palace. 

His father, King John, was planning a dinner, or something, for the anniversary. To Dean it didn’t really feel like the occasion to throw a party, no matter how informal it was. He would rather be alone than surrounded by a bunch of people who barely knew, and definitely didn’t give a crap, about his dead mom. 

He left early in the morning to sneak out the kitchen. Sam caught him, of course. 

“Dean!” 

They were standing in the grand hallway. Dean waited for Sam to catch up with him, but he kept inching his way toward the double doors.

“Heya, Sammy. Can’t talk, gotta run!”

Sam grabbed him by the shoulder. “Stop it, Dean. You almost drowned yesterday, you need to rest. And Dad will be pissed if you don’t show tonight.”

“Then let him be pissed,” Dean shrugged. He backed away from his little brother with long strides. Sam gave him the usual bitch-face, but he let him go. Dean pushed through the doors at the end of the hall and turned down the servants' wing. 

The kitchen was full to bursting when he got there, and hot as heck. He slid by the cooks at the stove. He dodged their pans full of whatever they were serving tonight. The door to his freedom was straight ahead, so close his fingers almost grazed the handle. And then someone pulled him back again.

“Not so fast.”

He turned to glare at the young girl who helped the clean-up crew in the kitchen, the girl who was currently preventing his escape. She was Dean’s very best friend, besides his brother. He made to turn away and Jo just held on tighter. She rolled her eyes at him when he pouted.

“Come on, Jo,” he whined. 

“Hold on, you big baby. I made you lunch.” She reached back and handed him a stuffed brown paper bag. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten food from a bag. The other servants would probably berate her, if they knew. But Jo never saw him as the Prince. To her he was just a regular guy, which was nice because even though Dean grew up in the Palace, he didn’t really feel all that special. He wasn’t better than anybody else, and he didn’t have to be. 

Not for Jo, at least. He smiled and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. “You’re the best.”

“I know.”

Dean would have been content to spend the whole day outside in the garden behind the kitchen. It had been Mary’s favorite place. After she died, Dean tended to it. But he knew if he stayed there his father or the servants would find him and drag him to the dinner. He had to get off the property, off the beaten path. He had to think like a non-Prince. Where did regular guys go?

He went to the pub first, but everyone knew him there. That would have been fine, except for the fact that he was met with twice as many condolences as greetings. He grimaced every time. His father always said he was as undiplomatic as they come. He fled after one beer. 

Normally he liked going to sit by the water. Near the Church there were rocks leading to the water’s edge. And Nahvn was a beautiful area with colorful buildings surrounding the canal and a few gated bridges. There was no way down to the water from there without a boat, but that was okay. He liked the smell of the salt and the feel of wind on his face. Drowning kind of put a damper on all that, though. 

So instead he kept to the back roads. They were cobbled and a little muddy from the recent rainfall. The few shops and buildings were close together, towering three stories high, and seeming to reach forward to one another. Jo always said she felt like the walls were caving in, but Dean liked small spaces. He always preferred them to the giant, open areas in the palace. But, then again, he and Jo had been raised very differently. 

He sat in an empty courtyard to eat his lunch. After that he startled circling back to the palace center. The dinner would start in a few more hours, and Dean already started to feel lonely. But he couldn’t go home, he just couldn’t. 

Dean was walking at a slow pace, still over two miles away from the castle, when he stumbled upon a man in one of the deserted back alleys. Dean had just been peeking his head down a side way. Then a man’s head raised and Dean was met with a pair of blue eyes that looked strangely familiar. He rushed forward without thinking.

“Hey! Are you all right?” All he got was a groan in response. 

He hesitated, a few paces away when he realized the man in front of him was naked. He was leaning forward, hunched over himself. He was shivering, and grimacing like he was in pain. After another cursory glance at Dean, the man closed his eyes. 

“Hey,” Dean whispered, crouching down. “I’m Dean. I’m gonna help you okay? Can you tell me your name?”

He pulled off his outer shirt and draped it over the man. 

“Castiel.” He tugged the shirt closer to himself and looked up at Dean again. 

Dean smiled lightly. “Good, okay. Are you hurt?”

“I just…fell,” Castiel said. He shook his head and his teeth chattered in his skull. The angel wasn’t used to feeling pain or cold. He couldn’t exactly tell the human that he had traded in his wings, and possibly his soul, for a few days as a human himself. “My back, it hurts.” 

“Do you…mind if I take a look?” Dean reached forward, hesitating until Castiel shook his head again. Then Dean took the shirt and lowered it to cover Castiel’s lower half so he could get a look at his back. He pressed gently against the skin. “You’ve got some pretty nasty bruises.”

Castiel shuddered and bit down on his lip. “Yes.”

“Do you live nearby?” Dean asked, helping the man to stand up. Now that he was covered more, the shivering abated a bit. He was taller than Dean had expected, at least as tall as himself. He met the man’s eyes. 

“No, I…live very far away.”

“Any family or friends in the city?”

Castiel shook his head before he even finished the question. He answered quietly, dropping his gaze to his bare feet. “No one.”

Dean jumped to his own conclusions after that – a man, left alone, naked and bruised. Whatever the guy had gone through, it could not have been anything good. He sighed and offered Castiel his hand. “Come on, I’m taking you home.”


	4. Bathtub

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean sneaks Castiel into the castle.

Castiel knew that Dean was the Prince. He recognized him after his pain subsided and they were walking along the streets. Dean looked different, though, through human eyes. Everything looked different. Castiel could smell things, and feel things he had never been able to before. When they reached the palace, Castiel was shocked that anything so grand could be found outside of Heaven. 

Dean chuckled at his expression and took it to mean that Castiel had no idea who he was. He was supposedly from ‘far away’ after all.

“Don’t make that face. My dad’s the King, I just live here.”

Castiel remained silent, allowed Dean to carry most of his weight, and followed him into a little garden on the far side of the estate. Dean sat him down on a bench amongst the flowers and went to the little window beside the white-painted door. With a glance back at Castiel, Dean rasped his knuckles against the glass in a distinct rhythm. Two green eyes appeared. 

Seconds later, a blonde woman eased her way out the door without fully opening it. She looked at Castiel on the bench and then back at Dean, frowning. She crossed her arms across her chest.

“What do you think you’re doing, Dean? Everyone just sat down for dinner. Your dad’s got half the castle looking for you. If anyone finds you, or me with you…” 

Dean scratched the back of his neck. He gestured to Castiel. “Sorry, Jo, but I need you to help me sneak him in.”

She sighed and raked her gaze all over Castiel, who was still half-dressed. “You’re lucky we’re friends.”

“I know.” He smiled. Castiel enjoyed when Dean smiled, it was a good look on him. When he turned that smile on him, Castiel enjoyed it even more. 

Dean helped Castiel to his feet while Jo went to make sure the coast was clear. After she gave the signal, Dean swiftly brought Castiel into the kitchen. From there they took the service hallway, with Jo leading a few paces ahead so she could check for any passerby at every corner. 

She only had to stop once on the way to Dean’s room. She frantically waved her arm behind her back and Dean backtracked into a window alcove a few feet away. Castiel was pressed close to Dean’s body in this position. He kept his eyes trained on the man, even though Dean seemed to be avoiding his gaze at all costs. 

They could hear Jo speaking to someone up ahead.

“Did you find Dean, yet?” 

“No, sir.”

“He’s probably long gone by now.” 

“I would assume so.”

“Well, as soon as you hear from him, let me know.” 

“Absolutely.” 

Dean waited until the sound of footsteps moved farther away, and then they ran to catch up with Jo. She looked pointedly at how close the two men were still pressed against each other. She met Dean’s eyes over Castiel’s head, eyebrows raised.

Dean coughed and pushed Castiel a pace away. “Let’s keep moving.”

“Aye, aye, Captain.” 

Jo left them alone in Dean’s room with firm instructions to get the stray a bath. Dean had to agree. Castiel was covered in scratches and caked with mud. He didn’t seem concerned with it himself, because he was too busy looking around the room. He seemed so enamored with everything. Dean quickly ushered him into the bathroom, just to end the embarrassment. The room was ridiculously ornate, and this guy didn’t have a thing to his name. 

Dean set a couple of towels on the large counter beside the sink, and waited for Castiel to say something. That turned into them staring at each other for an impolite stretch of time. Dean was the first to turn away. 

“I’ll just, um…go then.”

He paced in his bedroom, and tried to figure out what to do with the stranger he had picked up on the middle of the street. He needed a plan. What would he tell his Dad? Should he even? He was fairly good at hiding. 

After a decent amount of time had passed panicking, Dean realized he never heard the water turn on. In fact, he hadn’t heard any noise at all. 

He came back into the bathroom cautiously to find Castiel still standing there wrapped in his shirt, staring at the tub exactly as he had been twenty minutes prior. Dean stood beside him.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m not sure how to make this work.” He pointed at the bathtub like it was a particularly tricky problem. Dean raised his eyebrows. 

“Haven’t you ever seen a bathtub before? Where the hell are you from, man?” Dean sunk down to his knees to demonstrate the faucet. “You just turn this here, and check the temperature, and pull the little stopper so the water stays in. See? There. Now we wait.”

Castiel still had that little frown on his face. It reminded Dean of school, and Dean had always hated school. He turned off the faucet. He was going to leave, but the guy was still just standing there. 

“Now you get in, Cas.”

“Oh.”

And then the guy was getting in with the shirt still wrapped around his waist and he looked so incredibly awkward in his own skin that Dean decided to squash down his own reservations and help him. Maybe Cas came from somewhere where they only ever took showers. That didn’t explain the whole bathing with your clothes on thing, but then again he had found Castiel naked. Maybe they didn’t even wear clothes where he was from. 

Dean sighed and sank to his knees again. “Do you want me to show you?”

Castiel nodded immediately and turned his big, grateful eyes towards Dean. The look made his throat dry. He waited until Cas was fully submerged in water before he helped him remove the shirt. Then he reached across his chest to grab the soap. 

He washed him clinically, trying to get all the muck off his skin and not linger in one area too long. The whole process felt intimate, but the silence was strangely natural. Castiel sat watching him. 

Dean met his eye again when he reached for the shampoo bottle. He lathered the soap between his hands and touched Castiel’s dark hair with something akin to reverence. 

“Your eyes are so…”

“Yes?”

“So blue.” 

Dean blinked a few times, shaking off the trance he seemed to be under. He was a Prince. He was supposed to be more suave than this. “Dip down and put your head under the water. Then you can dry off and I’ll find you a place to sleep tonight.”

Castiel grabbed his wrist, as though he was afraid Dean was going to leave him right then and there. He blinked owlishly. 

“This is very kind of you, Dean. Thank you.” 

Dean found he missed Castiel’s touch when his hand moved away. When Castiel looked down, flushing, Dean missed his eyes. He shook his head. 

“Any time, Cas.”


	5. Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam finds out about Castiel.

Dean only kept his secret guest hidden for about a day and a half before the whole castle found out about him. Of course, it all started with Sammy. 

Sam walked into Dean’s room in the morning to find the stranger sitting at the little table by the windows, scarfing down most of Dean’s breakfast with abandon. The yelp Sam gave out alerted all the nearby servants to come investigate. Cas paused, hand halfway to his mouth with a piece of toast and stared at them all. 

“Who the hell are you?” Sam demanded. 

Dean came out of the bathroom with no shirt and his jeans unfastened. He ran, skidding to a stop in front of Cas as though he could shield him. Dean tried to do up his pants with one hand while he held the other out to his brother in a placating gesture.

“It’s fine, this is Cas. He’s a friend.” Dean cast a look back at Cas and he would have sworn the guy’s eyes actually twinkled. He looked happy, even though he was still frowning. Dean swallowed down his panic and turned back to his brother. No one needed to know he had picked this guy up off the street. But he needed to tell them something. Sam raised an eyebrow, and Dean tried to come up with a plausible cover story. “He’s from…Germany.”

The servants who were scattered near the doorway were all looking at one another. When Dean noticed them and narrowed his eyes, they left hastily in a single line. 

Sam stepped closer to the table, and Dean stepped aside. He nervously chewed on his lip. 

He had spent the previous day hiding out in his room with Castiel and he had learned a great deal about the guy – namely that he was strange. He didn’t know about many things, normal things like baths and how to wear clothes. But Cas was eager about everything. The smallest things excited him, like finding a hidden closet in the back of Dean’s suite, and watching the automatic drapes move up and down at the push of a button. 

Dean had found himself enjoying teaching Cas about everything. He would never admit it, but he found it endearing. When their lessons turned to food the night prior, Dean had Jo bring up two ginormous burgers and Castiel had smiled a real smile for the first time since Dean met him. 

But now he was frowning again, a real frown that reached his eyes. He was nervous, just like Dean. The brothers sat with him at the table and Castiel cringed back an inch. He set down his toast.

“Germany, huh?” Sam asked. 

Dean gulped and Castiel nodded. “Yes, I have lived in Nuremberg for the last several years. My family is originally from Munich, my brother still resides there.”

His voice came out monotonous. Sam and Dean were both staring at him. But Castiel ignored Sam’s eyes, in favor of watching Dean. He hoped his lie would be sufficient. He was uncomfortable under their scrutiny. 

“Oh,” Sam nodded. “Well, how do you know Dean? Do you two hunt together?” 

Dean met his brother’s eyes and began to nod. He stopped short when Castiel interjected. 

“I do not participate in the killing of innocent creatures.”

Sam frowned at the two of them. He sent a patented bitch-face at Dean, who had clearly been ready to lie to him. He stared Dean down. “Then how did you meet?” 

“Just work things, Sam, you know.”

“Yes, work,” Cas agreed, but he sounded so stilted Dean almost cringed. Cas turned his wide gaze on Sam fully for the first time and lied. “Bobby introduced us. We met a long time ago, Bobby and I, and when I recently expressed an interest in ships he put me in contact with Dean. He was kind enough to meet me when I came into town a few days ago.” 

Dean nodded eagerly. He was grateful Cas had come up with a viable story, but he was curious to know why Castiel knew about the ship and Captain Singer. “So he’s going to be staying with us. You know, a friend of Bobby’s is as good as family. But I haven’t told Dad yet, so just…don’t mention it okay?”

“I’m sure someone told him by now, Dean.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Sam stood up. “So, let’s go introduce them. Then you should go show Cas around. What have you been doing all this time, hiding him in your room?” 

“I made up a separate room for him,” Dean sputtered, flushing bright red. By the look Sam gave his brother, surprised and suspicious all at once, that wasn’t at all what Sam had meant. He left after that, probably off finding the King.

Dean and Cas stood as well, but Dean huddled close to Castiel before the doorway and whispered, “Do you really have a brother in Munich?”

Cas looked up at him. “Not anymore. Do you really hunt?”

“Not anymore,” Dean echoed. “Now I go out on the ship. But you seem to know all about that.” 

“You’re a prince. It’s fairly common knowledge that you work on the ship.”

“So before,” Dean said, just as Cas walked out of the bedroom suite and into the hall. Dean jumped to catch up. “When we met, you did know who I was?”

Castiel kept his eyes forward. The hall stretched far ahead of them. “I knew, yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t think it was of import.”

“Well, it is. I need some answers, man,” Dean said. He saw his brother and father coming up the main corridor toward them, trailed by two maids. He ducked his head and spoke softly. “Later, okay? I need you to talk to me later.”

Castiel nodded and stared at the King as he approached. He bowed his head slightly, and Dean breathed through his nose. He could do this. 

His father was a young King, by anyone’s standards, but he had a harsh look that gave him an air of wisdom and scrutiny. 

“Dean,” he said solemnly. “Your guest will join us in the main dining room for dinner tonight so that we can be formally introduced.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We can feed him something a bit more refined. I heard you served him cheeseburgers last night.”

Dean smirked, feeling that the worst of the confrontation was over. If his father was making jokes, he must not be too upset. It was rare that John was ever caught in a good mood. Dean relaxed for a second. But then, Castiel spoke up beside him and Dean stiffened all over again. 

“I quite enjoyed the burgers,” he said.

The three Winchesters and the servants stared at Cas. He didn’t even look away, like a normal person would. He stared at John until he actually cracked a smile. Dean turned at the sound of his father laughing.

“I see why you and my son get along so well,” John said.


	6. On Ships

The next morning Dean took Cas down to the dock to keep up the pretenses of why he was there, and also because Cas kept begging him to go. Like everything else, Castiel seemed enamored with all the ships and the water. He kept smiling at everyone they passed – and not just with his eyes the way he often did – he used a full-on smile that was impossible to miss and made quite a few people walk a little bit faster away. 

Bobby and most of the crew were on leave after their latest excursion, so they went to the Royal Ship first and Dean gave a tour. Dean couldn’t run an entire ship by himself, though. Instead, they had to take a small boat out on the water. 

Dean watched the wind tousle Castiel’s hair and the way he turned his face up toward the breeze, eyes closed and lips curved. Farther off the shore, when Dean cut a sharp turn, Castiel grinned over at Dean. The sight was so unexpected, Dean almost forgot to smile back, but he did. He steadied the mast and set a straight course, and joined Castiel at the front of the boat.

“Having fun?” 

They stood side by side, shoulders brushing. Castiel nodded. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

“Sure,” Dean smiled. “I mean, it’s kinda nice having someone around. I’m not that great at making friends.”

Castiel watched as Dean looked down at the water, cheeks reddening, and then glanced back up. 

“I’d like to be your friend,” Castiel said easily.

“Then you gotta give me something, man. Tell me why you’re here.” 

Dean’s eyes flicked between Castiel’s and the water below them. The boat glided slowly out to sea. Castiel was staring back at Dean, but with each silent second that passed, Dean lost hope that Castiel would give him any information. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could go on like this, keeping someone who was basically a stranger so close. It wasn’t safe. 

But Castiel was always so happy, or thoughtful, or damn grateful. Even when he frowned his eyes were alight with life and it was refreshing to Dean who constantly felt surrounded by fake people and royal agendas. 

“What do you want to know?” Castiel asked quietly.

Dean breathed through his nose. “Where did you really come from?”

“Up North, I lived with my family.”

“North? Like on a glacier or something?”

Castiel sighed. “Or something.”

 

Castiel turned to sit against the wall of the boat, facing the deck instead of the water. After a moment’s hesitation, Dean sat beside him. He tried not to stare given their close proximity, but in his peripheral vision he could see the other man shaking slightly. He saw goosebumps on his arm.

Dean moved closer. They were both stiff at first before they melted into each other. 

“Why’d you leave?” Dean pressed.

“My family is very overbearing. I suppose I’ve always been different from my siblings, and my father didn’t understand. I think it worried him. But the more he tried to lock me away, the more I felt the need to run.”

Dean felt rather than saw when Castiel shrugged his shoulders, as though in defeat. 

“I get that,” Dean admitted. “I mean, it’s hard when they have this plan set, but you want more, you know?” 

“Yes,” Castiel whispered. Their eyes met. Something about the softness in Castiel’s gaze made it hard for Dean to get his next question out.

“How long do you think you’ll stay?”

“A few days,” Cas said. 

“Well, you can keep your room in the castle as long as you need. Our cover story is pretty solid, and my dad seems to like you.”

“He didn’t talk much at dinner.”

“Yeah, we’re not a very chatty family.” 

Castiel nodded absently, looking up at the sky. “I don’t want to go back, Dean. I have never felt this free before.” 

“Then stay,” Dean demanded. “Screw what your family expects of you.” 

“It’s not as simple as that.” Cas shook his head. 

“Yeah, I know,” Dean said. “But if you know what you want, I think you should fight to keep it.” 

Castiel stared at Dean helplessly. He didn’t know how to operate in the human world, he didn’t know how to love.

“I’ll try,” he croaked, breathing into Dean’s space. 

Dean smiled and actually leaned closer. Castiel held his breath. But then he blinked and the moment was gone. Dean hesitated, and then reached up to graze Castiel’s cheek with his knuckles. Castiel bowed his head into the touch. 

As quick as they had come, the fingers were gone. Dean stood up to turn the boat around. He stayed by the front of the boat the entire journey home. 

Castiel tried to come up with a plan. He had wasted days simply enjoying Dean’s presence and while he may not have traded those moments for anything, he had work to do.

Back at the palace, Dean and Castiel went to their respective rooms to clean up before dinner. Dean walked Castiel up to his door, and when they turned to each other, Dean touched Castiel again for just a moment before he darted further down the hallway.

Castiel slipped into his room smiling. His good mood dissipated immediately when he saw who was there waiting for him.

“Cassie, what have you gotten yourself into?” 

He straightened his back, chin raised defiantly. No matter what, he had three days left as a human. There was no way he was leaving before then. His eyes betrayed his anger. 

“Hello, Gabriel.”


	7. To Fall in Love

“What did you do, Castiel?” Gabriel repeated. 

Castiel rushed across the room and drew the blinds, careful to check for anyone who might have seen his brother, but there was no one in the yard. He turned back on his brothers, eyes still ablaze with fury. 

“I did what I had to do?”

“You went and got yourself killed!”

“Maybe, maybe not.”

“Yeah?” Gabriel spat, eyebrows raised and posture tense. “We don’t have souls, Castiel! You don’t have anything else to sell but your life. Who did this? Meg? Lilith?”

“No. Crowley.” Sensing that his brother would be more upset by this, he continued in a hurry. “He is the only one strong enough for this.” 

“For what?” Gabriel demanded. His irritation was showing through. The exasperation on his face quickly faded into shock. He looked Castiel up and down. “You’re a human.”

Castiel nodded. “For an Earthly week, unless I fulfill the deal. Crowley will come for me at sunset on the seventh day.”

“So you’ve got three days left before a demon comes to collect your powerless mortal ass.” Gabriel threw himself onto Castiel’s bed, his head cradled in the giant pile of pillows. “What do you have to do to stop it?”

“Make a human fall in love with me,” he said, with more conviction than he felt.

Gabriel’s eyes shot up. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Castiel shuffled his feet. “I have located a prospect.” 

“I can see that. Loverboy at three o’clock.” Gabriel cocked his head toward the door, and Castiel followed the movement with panicked eyes. Gabriel snickered. “Don’t worry. I’m still an angel, remember? He won’t be able to see me.”

“Or hear you?” Castiel demanded through his teeth just before Dean knocked twice and entered the room. 

“Nope,” Gabriel said. Castiel watched Dean warily, but he didn’t even glance toward the bed. “How do you deal without your grace? It seems awful.”

Castiel tried his best to ignore Gabriel. Dean was staring at him, glancing up and down. “Why aren’t you dressed, man? We have to get down to dinner.” 

“I’m sorry, Dean,” he stammered. “Let me just…” He pointed to his wardrobe, filled with his few borrowed clothes, and then at himself. Dean just stood there, frowning, while Castiel nearly tripped over his own feet and finally slammed the door to the bathroom. 

Dean was standing right where he left him when Castiel emerged minutes later in fresh clothes. Gabriel threw Castiel a wink when he passed the bed and promptly disappeared. Castiel wondered if his brother was truly gone or just invisible to his newly human eyes.

Not having his grace definitely had its down sides.

But it had its good moments, too. For instance, on their walk to the grand dining room, Dean ushered Castiel forward with a hand on the small of his back. Even through the fabric of his clothes, Castiel could feel the warmth, the pressure. 

Over dinner, when they exchanged plates, their fingers would brush for a second, and Castiel looked up to see if the contact had the same effect on Dean as it did on him. He liked to think so. 

Dinner with the Winchester’s was a quiet affair. Castiel had joined them enough in meals that he was no longer a novelty, and they had run out of pleasantries. The chatter died down. Instead, in the rare instances of conversation, the topics were purposeful. King John spoke of the Kingdom and responsibility. The boys kept their heads down more often than not.

“The King of Sweden will be dining with us next week. His daughter arrives tomorrow, though. I thought you could welcome her. You two got along so well on their last visit.” 

“Is she staying here?” Dean snuck a glance at Cas, but spoke to his plate. 

“That’s up to you,” John said a little wistfully. 

Dean sighed and met his father’s eyes. “You aren’t going to give this up, are you?”

“You know how important a partnership is in leadership. You need to be strong, so you need a strong person by your side.” John pointed with his fork at his eldest son and then set it to the side of his plate. “After your mother died…”

“Don’t bring mom into this.”

“She’d want you to do the right thing, Dean.”

“I think she’d want me to be happy.”

“And who says none of my allies daughters will make you happy? You haven’t even tried.”

“I courted Lisa,” Dean insisted. Castiel felt a pang in his chest, but no one was paying any attention to him. 

“Yes, but you refused to propose. She was a nice girl.”

Dean shook his head and cast another glance at his friend and his brother on the other side of the table. They were both avoiding his gaze. “I…can we talk about this later?”

“Don’t think we won’t, Dean.”

After that no one ate much. When the servers came to take away the plates, the family dispersed without a word. John went back to his study, Sam to his bedroom, and Dean ushered Cas toward the back hall where the kitchen staff was headed. 

Castiel was too distracted to think anything of it. Dean’s father wanted him to get married, to a girl in a neighboring territory. 

He couldn’t fall in love with someone else, he couldn’t. Castiel was lost, completely, already. He didn’t know much about love, but he felt it when he looked at Dean. He loved all humans, but this was different – this feeling of seeing and being seen. Dean understood him.

When Castiel made the deal with Crowley, he thought the worst thing would be returning to hell. But now he knew the worst thing would be finding out that Dean didn’t love him back.


	8. Kiss the Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean takes Cas for a night out of the castle and Gabriel tries to help them out.

Cas only realized they were heading toward the kitchen when they arrived and Dean promptly ushered him to one of the counter tops with the remnants of their dinner still in cooking pans.

Dean grabbed two forks and handed one to Cas. He didn't delay digging right in. Cas stared at him bemused.

"You just ate."

"Yeah, well, I'm stressed."

"About what your father said?"

Dean paused, his fork halfway to his mouth. He shook his head. "So not talking about it."

Castiel shrugged. He took a bite of food.

"I mean, I know it'll happen eventually but I'm still young, man," Dean said, mouth full. He swallowed. "Just wish he'd lay off for a few years, I guess. Let me find...love or whatever... on my own."

He glanced up at Castiel and away, cheeks a bit flushed. 

"Say something, man," Dean begged. 

"I thought we weren't talking about it," he said solemnly.

Dean smiled. He looked at Castiel again, and looked and looked and looked when the other man didn't look away. He'll be barely even blinked. 

"You do that a lot," Dean said. "The staring."

"Apologies."

"No, it's uh kinda nice. Kinda feel seen, you know?"

"Yes, I think I do." Castiel smiled a small smile and finally looked down. 

Dean stuffed his face with more food. Cas followed suit at a more reasonable pace. 

Jo came up beside them, huffing. "Dean, you are a terrible influence."

"Hey! I'm an awesome influence. Right, Cas?"

"Um..."

Jo pushed her way between them. "No. And you're a terrible host, too. He's visiting!" She threw a hand back towards Cas. "And you have him cooped up in this dingy place."

"I don't think dingy is the word you're looking for," Cas interjected. "And we went out to the ship."

Jo turned her glare on him. Dean just looked smug. 

"I'm just saying," Jo said. "Some Swedish milk maid is coming tomorrow - might be nice to spend your last unclaimed night with your other guest here."

Dean tried very hard not to read into her tone, but the mention of his prospective wife was a very convincing argument. He set down his fork and Jo knew she had won.

"Cas, you uh wanna get out of here?"

"Oh. All right."

 

They took Deans car since it was getting dark. Dean called her baby, which made Castiel squint in confusion but he didn't comment on it. There were still so many things he didn't understand about humans. 

The car fascinated him, though. So much faster than walking but so much slower than wings. He'd seen them before but never given the contraptions much thought. 

Dean was driving with one hand on the wheel, his other hand resting along the open window, tapping along to the radio.

"Can I try?"

"Hmm?"

"Driving?"

"Hell no," Dean said. Then he glanced over at Castiel. He bit his lip. "Okay, maybe, for a second." 

It did not go well. Cas hit the gas pedal at full force and they went lurching forward. He smiled, appreciating the wind against his skin. But one glance over at Dean told him he'd done something very wrong.

"Stop, Cas!" 

He did immediately. "Apologies."

"Jeez, man, who taught you how to drive?"

"No one, this is my first time."

"Seriously? Seriously. You've never driven and now you're driving baby. Oh my god. Get out."

Castiel looked a little crestfallen.

"Don't give me that look. I'll teach you how to drive in one of those town cars we keep at the castle. Right now I need a drink."

"Okay, Dean."

They switched seats and Dean started the car at a much slower pace. 

"Okay, Dean," Gabriel's familiar voice mimicked from the back seat. Castiel jumped in shock.

Dean glanced over at him. "You all right?"

"Fine."

He glared at Gabriel for a split second.

"Hey, little bro. Just wanted to see how things are coming along. I see things are progressing well. Date night? With the prince? I bet it'll be somewhere swanky." Dean pulled the car over. "Or a crappy dive bar, okay then."

Castiel got out of the car and followed Dean across the parking lot toward the run-down building. He tried his best to ignore his brother following right behind them. 

Dean glanced over at him abashed. "I hope this is okay. This is where I usually like to run away to...when it's not too crowded. Parking lot looks pretty empty tonight."

"It looks perfect, Dean." Castiel dodged Gabriel trying to elbow him in the ribs. His brother ruffled his hair instead. Castiel flushed, hoping Dean would chalk the movement up to the wind. "Let's go in."

Dean walked straight to the bar, where the bearded bar tender was washing up glasses. The place was indeed almost deserted. The two patrons at the end of the bar raised their glasses at Dean, who nodded at them. He leaned over the bar to speak to the bar tender and Castiel stayed a few paces away. He couldn't hear what they were saying with his weak human ears. 

After a few minutes, Dean turned back to him. "What'll you have to drink, Cas?"

"Oh," he took a step forward and then, with the help of a giant push from his brother, promptly feel forward for seemingly no reason at all. Dean rushed forward and caught him.

"Woah, hey, you good?"

Castiel looked up. "Yes, Dean, I'm fine." He righted himself. "I'll just have whatever you're having."

Dean met his gaze for a few seconds, before turning back to the bar tender and gesturing to him. The guy nodded. Then Dean led Cas away to a table in the back. 

Castiel was shocked to see that Gabriel didn't come with them. He was invisible again, but Castiel found it hard to believe he'd leave it at that.

The bar tender brought their drinks, and just as he set them down, a song came on the speakers over the bar. 

"Huh, that things been busted all week. Weird."

He walked away singing along "I wanna know what love is..."

Castiel had a sinking feeling. 

While Dean and he talked about their lives and their families, the songs got progressively more and more ridiculous. They were all love songs, all sappy. They seemed to be getting louder, too.

"What the...?" Dean finally commented. He yelled toward the bar. "What's with the playlist, Benny?"

"Can't even figure out where it's coming from, brother, the computers not even on."

"Uh huh, likely story."

And then the next song changed to one that didn't seem especially love-centric, but made Dean pause and stare up at the speakers.

"Dean, are you all right?"

Dean glanced at him, then back at the speakers, then back at him.

"My mom loved this song."

"What was she like?"

"She was amazing. Strong, like my dads always saying, but soft, too. Happy. She liked to sing, and she would come play outside with us and hold our hands and spin us in circles. She probably wasn't even going that fast, you know, but when you're a kid, I mean, it felt like flying."

Castiel smiled the biggest smile Dean had ever seen on him. They were leaning in towards each other across the table, to speak over the music. Castiel's smile faded minutely but all the happy intensity remained in his eyes. Deans gaze flicked down to his lips. All the while the music just seemed to grow louder and louder around them. Dean leaned in farther. There was hardly a breath of space between them, and then...

And then the music cut off abruptly. They both jumped back and looked out toward the bar. Benny was holding up the speaker cords triumphantly.

Dean chuckled uneasily. "Couldn't have thought of that sooner, Benny?"

The bar tender shrugged.


End file.
